Yung, Marcus

Department of Kinesiology, University of Waterloo.

Mathiassen, Svend Erik

University of Gävle, Faculty of Health and Occupational Studies, Department of Occupational and Public Health Sciences, CBF. University of Gävle, Centre for Musculoskeletal Research.ORCID iD: 0000-0003-1443-6211

Abstract [en]

Trends in industry are leaning towards stereotyped jobs with low workloads. Physical variation is an intervention to reduce fatigue and potentially musculoskeletal disorders in such jobs. Controlled laboratory studies have provided insight into the effectiveness of physical variation but very few have been devoted to intermittent activity without muscular rest as a component. This study was undertaken to determine whether the inclusion of muscular rest would result in physiological responses beyond those composed of varying non-zero forces. Five isometric contraction patterns with the same mean amplitude (15% maximum voluntary contraction, MVC), cycle time (6 seconds), and duty cycle (50%) were compared using multiple biophysical approaches. In exercise, sustained (15%Sust) and intermittent contractions including zero force (0%-30%Int) differed significantly in 19 of 27 response variables. Contractions varying by half the mean force (7.5%-22.5%Int) led to 8 and 7 measured responses that were significantly different from 0%-30%Int and 15%Sus, respectively. A sinusoidal condition (0%-30%Sine) resulted in 2 variables that were significantly different from 0%-30%Int and 16 different from 15%Sus. Finally, 10 response variables suggested that varying forces with 1% as the lower contraction level was significantly less fatiguing than 15%Sus while no responses were significantly different from 0%-30%Int. Sustained contractions led to decreased twitch force 24 hours post-exercise whereas intermittent contractions recovered within 60 minutes. This suggests that time varying force may be a useful intervention to reduce local fatigue in workers performing low-load tasks and that rest per se did not seem to cause any extraordinary effects.